Bad Nauheim

Tucked in the foothills of the Taunus Mountains, just north of Frankfurt, the historic spa town of Bad Nauheim has been a popular wellness center for over 150 years, with its natural mineral-rich spring and salt waters renowned for their health benefits. Today, the health spas are still the town’s main crowd-puller, many housed in magnificent Art Nouveau villas and surrounded by idyllic parklands.

But luxury spas and wellness centers aren’t the only attraction drawing visitors to Bad Nauheim – the town also boasts a unique link to American icon Elvis Presley. The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was stationed at the US Army base in Friedberg in 1958 and spent the majority of his 17-month military service living in Bad Nauheim – his first and only visit to Europe. Today, the memory of the town’s most famous former resident lives on, with the Bad Nauheim Elvis Festival held each year on August 16th (the anniversary of the King’s death) and a number of Presley-related sights bringing fans from around the world to the small town.